


Justice is as Justice Does

by bisky



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: 90's high school au, High School AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-08-18 14:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8165714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisky/pseuds/bisky
Summary: It's the 90's and the justice league is in high school. What could possibly go wrong.





	1. Chapter 1

Hal laced his fingers through Carol’s absentmindedly while staring at the ceiling above them. They had been lying on her bed for the past hour just talking and occasionally sitting in silence, their hands wandering across each other’s skin. It wasn’t like they didn’t care about each other, they did, immensely. Hal and Carol had known each other since they were very young. From playing on the tarmac at Ferris Air, through Hal’s father’s death and Carol’s phase in middle school where she thought she was too cool for him, they had finally ended up at a good place. 

It was complicated if you wanted the truth of it all. Hal loved Carol more than anyone but he didn’t love her the way he was suppose to. He could remember the first time they made out and he struggled to fondle her breasts. The look in her eyes, as if to say she understood everything. Maybe more than Hal ever would. 

Lost in thought Hal was shaken out of his haze when his mom burst into the room clutching the home phone. “You two I swear, sometimes I wish I would walk in on you kissing or something else besides lying there like sloths.” 

“Mom!” Hal exclaimed as they both sat up to face her. Carol laughed her sweet laugh and laid her head on Hal’s shoulder. 

“We’ll try to be more promiscuous in the future Ms. Jordan.” She said and Hal felt the blooming of blush across her cheeks. His mom smiled and extended the phone out to them.

“Phone call for you, dear.” 

“Thanks mom.” He stood up and grabbed the phone from her, still kind of pissed off about his mother’s comment. “Sup.” He said into the receiver as he sat down and slung his arm around Carol. 

“Hal, dude! Think you can stop banging Carol long enough to head over to Zatara’s?” Carol laughed again as she listened in on their conversation. 

“I dunno Barry, I have baseball practice in a few hours.”

“Oh come on Hal! Iris is here and you have to save us from watching Dinah and Ollie eating face.” He could hear Dinah yelling something about it being payback for him and Iris at bowling last week. “We already got a pizza and everything, man!” 

“Okay okay, Carol and I will be there in ten.” 

“See ya then!” Barry said quickly and then the dial tone blared in Hal’s ear. He sighed and threw the phone across the bed, falling back onto the headboard roughly. Carol looked at him with sadness in her eyes and stroked his cheek. 

“I can’t go, my father has a benefit tonight.” She said softly. 

“You’re seriously gonna leave me with them and all their dumb couple shit?” 

“I know being around Barry and Iris makes you upset but he’s your friend. You have to at least act happy for him.” 

There was no one who understood him better than Barry, no one who was as quick or as funny, and there was frankly no one as kind hearted. It didn’t help that he looked like an adonis too. But now he was with Iris who was beautiful, smart and well...of a gender Barry seemed to like. Hal had suffered through many a pool party trying not to stare at Barry for too long or keep himself from blurting something stupid out when Barry would ask for girl advice. Carol was the only person that knew. She had figured it out herself a long time ago, always too insightful for her own good. 

“C’mon, go to Zatara’s, have some pizza. Call me after practice and you can tell me all about how annoying it is when Ollie makes you listen to The Red Hot Chili Peppers.” 

“Carol, if you had had to listen to Blood Sugar Sex Magik as much as I have you would understand.” He said as Carol stood up and collected her things. 

“I know, Hal.” She smiled at him and then left the room without closing the door just because she knew it annoyed him. 

After watching Carol’s car disappear down the perfect suburban street, Hal searched for a pair of socks that didn’t smell like they had been worn for two weeks straight and grabbed his practice gear. 

“Bye mom, going to Zatara’s and then practice. I’ll be back tonight!” He shouted into the void of the house while standing in the front door way. His mother shouted something back but he was already out the door and halfway down the driveway. 

When Hal got to Zatara’s he waited a few minutes, sitting idle in the parking lot. It wasn’t that he was nervous or scared or embarrassed. No, it was just a nice buffer time before walking into the schnozefest that was Iris, Barry, Ollie and Dinah. Once his prep time was over he put on his signature bomber jacket that had belonged to his dad and been sitting in the back seat the entire summer just waiting until it was cool enough to wear again. He loved the jacket, it made him feel fearless, just like his dad. And it was a chick magnet but that was just an added perk. 

“Hey Hal! I was wondering when you were gonna bust out the bomber jacket again.” The cute girl from behind the hostess stand said. Zatanna actually. Heiress to the Zatara’s Pizza empire and possibly the most enchanting girl Hal knew. After last year’s talent show when she did a magic act in full classic magician attire he hadn’t been able to get it out her out of his head for weeks. Also yeah, wasn’t lying about the chick magnet part. 

“How are you Zee, you weren’t at school on Friday I was beginning to think we’d seen the last of you.” Hal leaned up against the hostess stand as Zatanna laughed. 

“I was helping my dad with some stuff.” 

“What kind of stuff?” Hal asked. She raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly. 

“You’re too nosy for your own good, Hal Jordan. Follow me, your friends are this way.” Hal followed her to the round booth in the back corner of the restaurant where his friends were sitting in the round booth. He slid into the end of the booth, next to Iris as they all hooted and hollered about something or another. 

“Look who it is!” Barry exclaimed. 

“Nice of you to show up, Jordan.” Ollie followed before leaning in and planting a big wet kiss on Dinah’s cheek. Hal did his best to keep himself from gagging.

“Well I’m here now. What’d I miss?” He rubbed his hands together, preparing for the pizza that sat on stand in the middle of the table. There was only one slice left, covered in anchovies because Ollie was disgusting, but it would have to do.

“I’m so glad you’re here Hal, these two can’t keep it together when you’re gone.” Iris said softly as Barry was daring Ollie to drink soda with his nose. “I was beginning to think Mr. Zatara was going to kick us out.” Hal snorted and continued eating his pizza slice.

Pizza faded into seeing if any of them could tie a cherry stem with their tongue (only Dinah and Hal could do it successfully,) which faded into one of Ollie’s many rants about gangster rap. 

“Look, all I’m saying is when Eazy-E died, music died too.” Ollie continued. 

“We know, babe.” Dinah said, patting his shoulder and laughing. “You guys ready to go?” 

“Hell yeah, I have practice soon.” Hal said in reply. They all got up and filed out of the booth, Barry leaving a five dollar tip under the napkin dispenser.  When they got out to the parking lot they loitered in a parking space for awhile. 

Iris was just finishing her recap of last night’s X-Files episode when a huge black BMW came barrelling at them. Barry with swiftness to reflect his trackstar nature pulled them all out of the way just in time for the car to slide into the space. Hal slammed the palms of his hands on the hood of the car angrily. 

“Watch where you’re going, fuckhead!” He shouted, but he couldn’t see the driver’s face through the glare of the sun off the glass. 

“Just let it go, Hal.” Dinah said trying to hold Hal back slightly. 

“No! This douchebag almost ran over us!” There was the sound of the car door opening and the driver of the car revealed himself. No. Not him, really anybody but him, Hal thought. 

“Is there a problem?” He said, his low voice getting lost among the hum of the car’s engine. 

“Yeah, Bruce, there is a problem. You can’t just fling your stupid ass car wherever you feel like it!” Hal shouted, circling around the front of the car. 

“You all were standing in the road, where cars drive.” Bruce said flatly. 

Bruce Wayne was a classmate of theirs. He was rich, stuck up, and had no concern for anyone else. Hal thought he was an insufferable prick, always had. He only hung out with some transfer students, Diana and Clark, and didn’t talk to anyone else. It was time someone put him in his place. 

“You fucking prick!” Hal shouted. 

“Hal, just let it go.” Barry tried to subdue him but Hal was already tackling Bruce to the ground. Bruce’s back landed on the ground with a loud thud, like there was something heavy inside of him. 

“Who do you think you are?” Hal said, his spit flying into Bruce’s face. Bruce didn’t respond with words, just grabbed Hal’s collar and flipped them quickly so that it was now Hal on the ground. It took Hal by surprise just how strong Bruce was but it just made Hal want to take him more. 

“Didn’t your parents tell you mess with people your own size?” Bruce said, smirking slightly. The rest of the group watched, not knowing what to do. Hal pushed Bruce off of him and threw a punch that Bruce dodged with minimal effort. Bruce punched back and clocked Hal in the center of his face. Blood began to spill from his nose, but Hal ignored it, lunging at Bruce and pinning him against the SUV next to them. 

“You think I can’t take you?!” Bruce laughed a breathy laugh and answered,

“I think you couldn’t take your own mother.” 

In that moment, Hal lost himself. How dare this insufferable asshole bring his mother into this! He began to punch him repeatedly, yelling things he couldn’t even hear himself say. The next thing he knew Dinah had him slammed against the pavement and was yelling at him.

“What the fuck do you both think you’re doing?” She shouted in his face, her fist clutching the collar of his white t-shirt now stained in red. Ollie and Barry were holding Bruce, who was breathing heavily as his lip bled onto his dress shirt. Dinah turned to Bruce without letting go. 

“I would suggest you get in your fancy car and leave right now if you know what’s good for you.” She growled at Bruce. He ripped his arms away from Ollie and Barry and wiped his lip. 

“He started it.” Bruce said gruffly as he climbed into his car. As the BMW drove away Dinah let go of Hal’s collar, letting him fall to the curb. 

“Are you fucking stupid, Jordan?” She said as she dusted her hands off on her jeans. Hal touched his nose and finally felt the blood running down his face. God, he had a killer headache. 

“He almost ran over us. I wasn’t gonna just let him throw his money around like that!” 

“I don’t care if he pulled a knife on us, Hal! You know how influential his family is! He could be going home to tell his rich ass parents about this and get your ass thrown in juvie!” 

“You guys better leave right now, or my dad’s gonna call the cops.” Zatanna shouted at them, peeking out from door to the restaurant. Dinah scowled at Hal and turned to Iris who looked scared shitless. 

“You okay, Iris?” Iris nodded and Dinah grabbed her hand. “I’m taking Iris home. Ollie, can you take Hal somewhere and get him checked out. He might have a concussion.” She said this flatly. Ollie nodded nervously. This wasn’t the first time they had seen Dinah like this but every time it put the fear of god in them. Barry helped Hal stand up and let him lean his weight on his shoulder. They heard the slam of Dinah’s camry’s door and Ollie laughed a bit. 

“You can never tell Dinah this but, that was hardcore.” Ollie said as he picked his backpack off the ground and threw it over his shoulder. “Only you would take on Bruce Wayne in the Zatara’s parking lot.” 

“Shut up, and drive Ollie.” Barry said fishing Hal’s key’s out his back pocket and throwing them at Ollie. 

The only thing Hal could remember after that, was his head laying in Barry’s lap as they drove to the emergency room. Flashes of Barry periodically snapping his fingers to keep him from slipping into a coma or something while Ollie played sang along to Rage Against the Machine. As they drove Hal thought that if he was to slip into a coma and die, right here in Barry’s lap wouldn’t be the worst place for it to happen.

 

* * * 

He could hear yelling from downstairs. The sound of a 18 year old girl who was out for blood. Hal’s blood. 

The door to his room flew open. He opened his eye’s only slightly, since the light still gave him a headache. Carol was in the doorway, in her cheerleading uniform no less. She stood there for a minute looking Hal up and down, assessing the damage, before she spoke. 

“Are you fucking mental?” She said after about thirty seconds of this. 

“Funny, that’s what Dinah said too.” Hal tried to joke, but Carol wasn’t having it. She stepped into the room and closed the door. Something she would never do if she wasn’t extremely angry with him. 

“I’m going to ask you to tell me your side of the story, because I’m having trouble getting my head around someone being stupid enough to do what I’ve been told you did.” 

Hal sighed and rolled over to face her. The bandages around his head shifted down and covered his eyes a little, but he was too out of it to care about fixing them. “Can I endure your wrath some other time?” 

“Sure, Hal. I’ll just pencil you in between my daily tirade and my four o’clock diatribe.” She said, sarcasm seeping through her clenched teeth. 

“Don’t use big words, the doctor told me not to do anything that required too much thinking.” She didn’t respond, just stood there with her arms crossed scowling at him. 

“Do you think this is a joke?” 

“If it is, it’s not a funny one.” 

“Hal! Bruce has money you could never dream of having. If his parents decide to press charges, you can bet your ass they’ll bring out the big guns. We’re talking expulsion, permanent record, possible jail time!” 

“I wasn’t thinking, okay?” Hal said. He kept his eyes closed, but he could feel the dip in the bed as Carol sat down on the edge next to him. 

“That’s the problem, Hal. You’re never thinking.” She said softly. 

They were quiet for a while. Carol reached over and brushed Hal’s hair out of his face.    
“You’re mom told me he broke your nose.” Her fingers ghosted over the bruises next to the bridge of his nose. Hal winced and she pulled back. 

“They tried to set it but they said it’s just gonna look like that from now on.” He said, opening his eyes slightly to look at her. Hal wouldn’t say this to her, but he kind of liked the broken nose. His dad had broken his nose in high school too. She frowned and looked away. 

“Carol. Caroline. Look at me,” He sat up as much as he could and took her hand. She glared at him for calling her Caroline. She hated it when he did that. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to him. That’s your best bet of getting out of this.” 

Hal sighed and laid back down, Carol following suit beside him. He almost whispered something to her, about how worried Barry had been, how he had felt looking up at Barry in the back seat of his dad’s Impala. But when he opened his mouth he realized Carol was already asleep. 

He dreamt that night of running after a red figure Trying desperately to catch up to it. He never did but catch it but he never stopped trying either. 

The next week, the doctor finally said it was okay for him to go back to school. The minute he stepped through the front door he was called to the principal's office. Not completely surprising but he had been wishing maybe they could let this one slide. There hadn’t been a peep from any representatives of the Wayne’s for the week and a half he had been out. As soon as he walked into Waller’s office he was surprised that Bruce wasn’t there. No one was. It was just The Wall and a single chair in front of her desk, just for Hal. 

“Mr. Jordan. Take a seat.” 

“Before I sit, I just want to say it’s not fair for you to punish me for something that happened off school grounds on the weekend.” 

“Well, Harold, you don’t exactly have the authority to decide what is and isn’t fair, considering you assaulted a peer, unprovoked.” She was stern, and scary as fuck. So instead of arguing, Hal just took the seat without a word.

Waller stood up and grabbed a folder from the filing cabinet in the corner of her office. “Now when word of this incident between you and Bruce Wayne made it’s way to me, I thought, Jordan? The captain of the baseball team? The one, who no less than a week ago, swore to me he was going to clean up his act, so I didn’t suspend him? That Jordan?” 

“Ms. Waller-” 

“I wasn’t finished.” She said, slamming the file on the surface of the desk. “School district protocol says I can’t punish you, but it doesn’t say I can’t make you wish I could, Mr. Jordan.”

Hal gulped and tried his best not to wet his pants. 

“From now on, you will be the model student. I don’t want to hear even a whisper from your teachers and coaches of you talking back or not doing as you’re told. So help me god I will make sure you never play baseball at my school again. Do you understand me?” He nodded slightly, which wasn’t good enough for her. “I said do you understand me, Mr. Jordan?!” 

“Yes! Yes, Ms. Waller I understand.” She eyed him for a second before speaking. 

“Now get out of my office.” 

* * * 

Fucking Bruce Wayne. Fucking rich asshole. Fucking prick. Fucking. Hal didn’t need this, he really didn’t. He was already dealing with Barry and Iris’ couple bullshit that had him gagging like he was in the perfume department at Macy’s. There was also pressure of leading his team to state, like they had the last three season, so he could get the scholarship he needed to attend college like his dad always wanted. The last thing he needed was Waller breathing down his neck until spring. 

Carol was waiting at his locker when he got there. They kissed like they always did. For show. As his shoved his tongue down Carol’s throat, Hal’s thoughts drifted to other things. What was going to be for dinner tonight? Did Jack steal his jordan’s last week? When was Metallica gonna come out with a new album? He only came back to the world of the living when one of his teammates, Guy, stuck his arm between them. 

“Leave room for jesus!” 

“You just wish Tora wanted to do that to you.” The youngest on their team, Kyle, teased, yanking Guy away by the collar of his varsity jacket. “Sorry, Carol.” Carol stuck her tongue out at them playfully and turned back to Hal. 

“Sorry about that, they can be a little tone deaf sometimes.” 

“Don’t worry about it, just make sure you whip ‘em into shape by spring.” She said with a wink before patting his cheek. She smiled at him and somehow everything that was weighing on him at the moment was a little bit lighter. They went their separate ways, her to physics as he made his way to the absolute slog that was calculus. 

Rounding the corner to the stairwell in the back corner of the school, Hal was met with something he could never have been prepared for. Bruce Wayne, sitting on the stairs, face red and puffy from crying. Hal froze. What the fuck was he suppose to do? Just walk by and act like he didn’t see it? Turn around and run the other way? Call the police, because what the fuck?  Bruce Wayne didn’t cry. Hal had trouble imagining he even used the bathroom much less cried. 

“Are you just going to stand there?” Bruce said, looking up from his lap at Hal. 

“Well I was planning on taking the long way to calculus but you’re here so I think I would rather just slam my head against the wall and tell Principal Waller you did it.” Bruce didn’t say anything and Hal shifted uncomfortably in the silence. It wasn’t like Bruce to let something like that slide. Bruce wiped his eyes and scooted over so Hal could pass. “Well that was uncharacteristically considerate.” 

“Could you just shut up and go to class.” Bruce said, his voice raspy from crying. 

“I really don’t want to sit in calculus for an hour and a half so I’m going to be the bigger person here and ask you what’s wrong.” Hal said leaning against the brick wall casually. “Parents won’t buy you that canary yellow ferrari? Zipper broke on your calvin klein socks? Oh oh I know! They don’t take hundreds at White Castle?” Hal smirked to himself, that was a good one. 

“My parents died.” Bruce said. Hal froze for a moment and tried to decipher if Bruce was joking. If he was, it was a fucked up one. 

“Are you for real?” Hal said and then realized how insensitive it sounded if he was in fact ‘for real.’ Bruce glared daggers at him and Hal decided maybe, as much as he didn’t want to, he should stay and finish what he started. “Shit, sorry.” He sat down next to Bruce (but not like right next to him because that would be weird.) “Do...do you want to talk about it?” 

“Why are you being nice to me?” Bruce asked, wiping snot from his nose. 

“My dad died when I was eight, it would be insensitive of me to leave this to guidance counselors and therapists.” Bruce blew air through his nose which Hal guessed was suppose to be a laugh. 

They were silent for awhile before Bruce spoke. “I don’t know why I’m so upset. It’s not like I saw them at all anyway.” Hal felt a tinge in his chest. He knew that feeling. His dad had always worked long days at the airfield and his mom nights at the hospital. It was a cold day in hell when he got to see them together, much less have ‘family time’ with them. He imagined it was probably worse for Bruce, classic rich neglectful parents. 

“Do you have, like, any relatives that you can live with?” Hal asked but Bruce just shook his head. 

“Just my butler. And yes I do realize how pretentious that sounds.” 

Hal laughed and so did Bruce. And not the air through the nose thing he had done earlier, a real laugh. “Pretty fucking pretentious Mr. Wayne.” 

“He calls me master Wayne actually.” They both laughed harder at that. “He’s actually the only person that I ever felt like actually cared about me. My parents were too busy going to high society functions and jet setting around the world to care what happened to me.” 

“I would expect nothing less from bazillionaires, if we’re being honest.” Bruce’s face fell and he was quiet. A few tears escaped from his eyes and Hal patted his back awkwardly. This was all so awkward. He had been pounding this guy into the pavement a few weeks ago but now he felt sorry for him. “Look. I know that feeling. You want to scream, cry, punch somebody. Anything that will keep you from feeling so empty but...I’m not going to lie to you. That emptiness never goes away. It get’s better though, and next thing you know a year passes and you feel like maybe more of a person again.” Hal paused, he wasn’t good with words or inspiration or really comforting people of all things. “I know none of this is helping.” 

Bruce cut him off abruptly. “It is actually.” The both went silent again, Hal remembering the pain of watching his father die. For months afterwards he wanted something to be angry at. Something he could latch onto and drive himself with, but the thing about people dying is, none of that is going to bring them back. No matter how hard you cry or punch, they’re gone for good. And it hurts. It hurts like fuck. 

“You should get to class. Kara Danvers is hall monitor this period and she’ll kick your ass into next year if sees you outside of class.” Bruce paused and took a shallow breath. “But thank you. I mean it.”

“No problem dude, us orphan’s gotta stick together-” Hal said as they both stood up but before he could finish Bruce pulled him into a hug. It was at an awkward angle and Hal’s right arm was stuck beneath Bruce’s scary strength but he did his best to hug back. Bruce smelled like hairspray and baby powder, Hal thought. They broke the hug and Bruce looked a little embarrassed. “Dinah Lance is having a party this weekend at her place. You should come.” 

“I’m the last person she wants at her party.” He said, avoiding eye contact. 

“Come on, Dinah’s not the type to hold grudges, and besides, her mom’s super awesome. Buys us booze and everything.” Bruce looked up and him and spread his lips into what could only be classified as a smile in some alternate dimension where smiling was forbidden. 

“I’ll try to make an appearance.” 

“Tell Diana and Clark they can come too. I know they don’t want to hang out with us jocks but there’s booze and pot and good music. Well good music as long as Ollie doesn’t bring his mix CD’s again.” Hal said, shuddering at the memories of Ollie playing the same Spin Doctors song six times in a row at their last party.

“Hey! Hal Jordan! Why aren’t you in class?” He heard a girl’s voice yell. Both of their heads snapped over to where the voice had come from and Kara Danvers stood there with her hands on her hips.

“I was just on my way, Kara. No need to go all laser eyes on me.” Hal said. He looked back to Bruce. “See you on Saturday.” 


	2. chapter 2

“I’ll leave the next choice up to a vote, LL Cool J or Everclear.” Ollie asked, shifting through his CDs, cross legged in front of the stereo in Dinah’s living room. 

“Ugh, neither.” Dinah replied, as she set the snacks out on her dining room table. 

“Do you have any Oasis in there?” Barry yelled from the kitchen where he and Iris were putting all the Red Dog Ms. Drake had bought them on ice. 

“Fuck no, I would let LL Cool J would play jump rope with Liam Gallagher's severed dick before I owned an Oasis album.” 

Hal tuned out of the conversation as he pondered the ways in which to tell his friends about inviting Bruce and the transfer students. He had been dreading it all week even as he assured himself that they probably wouldn’t even show up! But in the event that they did come he didn’t exactly feel like getting drop kicked by Dinah for not telling her beforehand.  

Everyone knew about the Wayne’s murder by now. They were minor celebrities in town and it had been all over the local news by the time Hal got home that night. He had spent the entire week looking for Bruce at school but he had been out since their meeting in the hallway, he had even asked guidance counselor J’onzz. Of course Mr. J’onzz wouldn’t tell him and seemed even suspicious of him when he asked so Hal dropped it. 

“Earth to Hal Jordan!” Hal blinked several times as Carol waved her hand in front of his face. He turned to her and smiled absentmindedly as she ruffled his hair. 

“When did you get here?” He asked, as she sat down on the couch’s armrest. 

“Somewhere between Ollie making threats against Liam Gallagher’s member and the bridge in Glycerine.” As Carol said this Dinah handed her a shot and she immediately downed it in one gulp. 

“It’s a little early for shots, don’t you think?” Hal said jokingly as Carol and Dinah gave him the death glare times two. He chugged his Mello Yellow like it was going to give him the courage to tell Dinah about their party crashers, but a bit of it dribble down his chin and onto his t shirt. 

“Judging by the way that Mello Yellow’s running down your face I think you may be the one who started drinking too early.” Dinah retorted. Carol used her thumb to wipe it off his chin and they both laughed. 

Barry and Iris came bounding into the living room, carrying beer in their arms and passed one out to everyone. There was a silence as they all listened to Ollie flip through the songs on the Bush album and passed around the bottle opener. 

“Hey, so, Dinah...” Hal said, stumbling over his words. Dinah raised his eyebrow at him as she took a sip from her beer. “I sort of, may have, possibly invited a few people tonight that you may not be happy about being here.” 

Dinah lowered the beer and looked at him suspiciously. “Who’re we talking about here, Hal?” 

Hal spoke into his drink as he took another sip, trying to mask the words. “Bruce Wayne and his transfer friends.” The next thing he felt was Dinah’s hand landing a sharp slap on his cheek. “Deserved that.” He muttered rubbing his cheek instinctively. Everyone else in the room has gone quiet but before Dinah could scream obscenities at him the doorbell rang. After a couple moments of all of them standing there not knowing what to do the bell rang again. Dinah looked at Hal pointedly and spoke low and angry. 

“This is not over.” She hissed. 

Hal felt his ears burning as Dinah opened the door and was met with Clark and Diana. They held two liters of Mr. Pibb and smiled awkwardly, like they weren’t quite sure that they were suppose to be smiling in the first place. 

“Speak of the devil.” Dinah muttered as she looked over at Hal. “Jordan, your friends are here.” She barked and then walked away leaving the door open. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees as Clark and Diana entered the doorway. Hal cursed himself for waiting so long to tell Dinah, just another of many nails already in his coffin. 

“Thanks for coming guys.” Hal said as he got up from the couch. 

“Of course. It would be rude to turn down an invitation.” Diana said, setting down the soda on the dining room table. She spoke with a thick foreign accent that Hal couldn’t quite place. 

“Bruce said he’d be here in a little while. He’s compulsively fashionably late.” Clark said, smiling that awkward smile again. 

“Well, I guess I’ll introduce you to everyone. That’s Ollie,” He pointed over to Ollie who had just finished whispering something in Dinah’s ear. He nodded nonchalantly and took a sip from his beer. “Next to him is Dinah, that’s Barry and Iris, and this is my girlfriend Carol. Beer is in the kitchen, snacks are on the table, try not to roll your eyes too hard when Ollie puts on Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.” 

“Is that a band?” Clark began to asked but Diana elbowed him in the chest before he finished. 

“Hal, can I talk to you in the kitchen.” Carol announced as loudly and obviously as possible, taking his hand and dragging him away from the group. “Explain. Now.” 

“Carol-”

“I’m not hearing any explaining.” 

“Look you know about Bruce’s parents, I ran into him in the hallway last week and he was crying. Like actually fucking crying. I felt bad for him so I said he could come tonight, if that makes me a terrible person I’m sorry.” Hal said. Carol sighed, knowing there was no way she could still be angry at him. 

“You should have told Dinah.”

“I know, look I know that, but you have to see why I was nervous about it.”

Carol pulled him into a hug and spoke into his shoulder. She smelled like department store perfume. “You’re much sweeter than you give yourself credit for.” She whispered. Hal didn't answer just squeezed her a little tighter. They went back into the living room where the tension had dissolved marginally. 

“Do you have any, I believe they’re called, the Spice Girls?” Diana said, sitting on the floor looking through Ollie’s CD’s. Ollie opened his mouth to say something, but like Diana did to Clark earlier, Dinah elbowed him. Eventually the doorbell rang again and more and more people started showing up. 

Harley, Pam and Floyd brought some weird wine Pam had stolen from her Mom’s cellar. It was pink and tasted like spoiled grape juice but by eleven Carol was drunk off it. Carter and Kendra were next. They had always been a little weird and showed up with an entire rotisserie chicken? Zatanna brought her boyfriend John and enough pizza to feed the entire school. Kate showed up with her underclassmen friends, Barbara and Dick. Barbara was nice enough but Dick was kind of a show off and Hal didn’t particularly like him. There were others and soon the house was packed with people. The alcohol was setting in so much so that Hal had to stop Carol from table dancing to No Doubt multiple times. 

Bruce had yet to make an appearance even after the fashionably late grace period was up and became just straight up late. Just when Hal was thinking he wasn't going to show he glanced across the room and saw Bruce standing in the corner sipping from a red solo cup. Hal bumped through the horde of drunk teenagers over to him. 

“Bruce! ‘Swas starting to think you weren’t gonna come.” He said, trying his best not to slur his words too much. “Whatcha drinkin?” 

Bruce looked down at his cup like it was going to say it itself. “Scotch.” Hal laughed a little too gregariously and wrapped his arm around Bruce. 

“Classy bastard.” Bruce smirked but didn't say anything in response. “Where’s Diana ‘n Clark?” 

“Don’t know, saw Diana over there with dancing with your girlfriend not too long ago. Better watch out, she’s way hotter than you.” Bruce shouted, trying to be audible over the stereo. Hal laughed at the irony.

“Don’t worry, don't play for that team if y’know what I’m sayin’” Bruce’s eyes widened but Hal was a little too inebriated to care about the repercussions of whatever he had implied. “Hey! Wanna go out back? ‘S lil hot ‘n here.” 

Bruce all but darted to the back door and Hal followed him to the porch. There was no one in the yard except htem. Bruce pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his jacket pocket. 

“Of course you have fuckin’ Zippo! Can’t just use a bic like the rest of us.” Hal said a little too loudly, as he leaned up against the railing. 

“Last longer.” Bruce said, lighting the cigarette and taking a long drag. They sat in silence for a little while before Bruce spoke. “So you...you’re not straight?” Hal giggled, less at the words and more at the way he had said it. Everything was funny right now. 

“Well y’now, I don't not like girls. Guys ‘re just better.” Hal laughed again and took another drink from his beer. 

“And Carol?” 

“She knows. My ‘ery own beard.” Bruce glanced around and dropped the subject, taking another drag. “You holdin’ up?”

He didn’t answer immediately, looking almost as if he was calculating the words in his head. “The funeral was yesterday. So, I don’t know really.” Hal crossed him and sat down on the glider facing the yard. Bruce sat down next to him, his shoulders hunched. “Do you ever feel like...like nothing’s worth it? There’s nothing you could do to change things, so why even try?” 

“Wouldn’ have pegged you for a sad drunk.” Hal said, stretching his arms across the back of the glider. “But yes. Some a the time, ever’one feels like that.” 

“I don’t like feeling powerless.” Bruce muttered.

Hal just looked at him and for a second, he couldn’t take his eyes off him. He had spent so much time hating the guy he never really took the time to look at him, but Bruce really was handsome. Strong jaw and high cheekbones with a piercing eyes and perfectly coiffed hair. He looked like he belonged in a Ralph Lauren ad. Bruce looked back at him and a combination of the moonlight and the porch lamp bounced off his skin. His stupid perfect skin.

Hal didn’t think about what he did next. It was almost all the alcohol’s fault and in the morning that’s what he would blame it one, but right now, he really wanted to kiss Bruce Wayne’s pouty lips. Leaning forward Hal cupped his hand around Bruce’s neck and awkwardly smashed their lips together. It wasn’t his smoothest kiss but Bruce didn’t seem to care, because he kissed back. 

Alarms went off in Hal’s head as he heard the backdoor open and he pulled away quickly as Clark poked his head out from around the doorframe. “There y’all are.” He stepped out onto the porch and Diana followed. Hal marveled at how they were definitely the most sober people he’d ever met...probably. 

“Diana and I are gonna head out, but we just wanted to thank you for inviting us.” Clark said, smiling as genuinely as Hal had ever see a person smile. 

“We also would like to thank you for being the first person to be able to get Bruce out of the house. I tell him and I tell him ‘Bruce, go out, have fun’ but he never does. You must be special, Hal Jordan.” 

“Not a ‘roblem, Di. You guys ‘re cool too, we should hang out again.” He looked over to Bruce who looked irritated with Diana and Clark’s mom and dad schtick. 

“We would thoroughly enjoy that.” 

“Do you need a ride home?” Clark said to Bruce as they turned to leave. 

“No, you guys go. I’ll find a way home.” Bruce replied. Diana and Clark waved goodbye and filed back into the house. Bruce put out his cigarette underneath his shoe and turned to Hal abruptly. “Wanna get out of here?” 

“You read my fuckin’ mind.” 


	3. chapter 3

Hal still had alcohol in his system so Bruce’s butler, Alfred, picked them up in a Rolls Royce. 

“Where to, Master Bruce and Master Jordan?” Alfred said in his british accent.

“Fuck, he called me Master!” 

“Ignore him.” Bruce said, swatting Hal’s hand away as he went to mess with the button to the partition. 

“I’m hungry!” Hal said louder than he meant to. “Big Belly!”  

“You heard the man, Alfred.” Alfred nodded his head and rolled up the partition. 

It was a short drive to the nearest Big Belly Burger but Hal managed to pass out across Bruce’s lap anyway. When they arrived Bruce shoved him off to the floor of the car. “Wake up princess, we’re here.” Hal shot up and muttered a few obscenities before climbing out of the car door on his hands and knees. 

“Dude, I think I’m gonna barf.” So he did, right there in the Big Belly parking lot. Most people would be embarrassed but Hal? He had no shame, especially not when he was drunk. He sat up after puking his brains out and saw Bruce standing there with his hands in his pockets, smirking oh so casually. 

“You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

“Only a little bit.” Before he could answer Bruce turned on his heels and headed for the door to the restaurant, leaving Hal crouching in a pile of his own vomit. Scrambling to his feet, Hal called for Bruce to wait up. 

It took Hal no less than five minutes to order as he kept zoning out to the Pearl Jam song that was playing. When they finally had ordered, Bruce snatched the styrofoam cup from Hal’s hand. “I’ll get that, you go piss you’ve been doing that little dance since we got out of the car.” 

When Hal got back Bruce was sitting at a booth in the back corner, reading a fucking book. Hal scoffed at the sight as he slid into the other side of the booth. “I swear Bru, you’re such a goddamn nerd.” Grabbing the book away from Bruce, Hal read the title aloud. “Infinite Jest? Never heard of it.” Bruce snatched it back and dog eared the page before laying it down next to him in the booth. 

“It’s just came out.” 

“What’s it about?” Hal asked, absentmindedly dipping his finger in the little container of ketchup that Bruce, very weirdly, had sprinkled pepper on top of. 

“It takes place in a dystopian future and focuses on several different storylines. One of the characters is named Hal actually.” They heard their order number come of the loudspeaker and Bruce went to get it. They ate in comfortable silence for a little while before Hal spoke up. 

“So about what happened on the back porch...” 

“What about it?” Bruce said as he cocked an eyebrow and took a bite of a fry. 

“I....I don’t...” He struggled to get the words out through a giant bite of burger and Bruce cut him off. 

“I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you’re asking. I know you like Barry.” Hal sputtered half of his sip of coke onto the table. The corner of Bruce’s lips upturned ever so slightly as he held his burger and watched Hal do verbal gymnastics. 

“Where the hell would you get that idea? I don’t like Barry! Who in the world besides Iris would actually feel anything for that string bean! He’s a science geek masquerading as a jock and...and...is it that obvious?” 

Bruce nodded and took another bite of his burger, speaking rather ineloquently through his full mouth. “I mean I wouldn’t have guessed before you told me you were gay at the party, but man, you do a lot of staring longingly when you’re drunk.” 

“Fuck man.” 

This had thrown Hal for such a loop, until tonight the only person in the world that knew about his feelings for Barry was Carol. Carol, who was safe and trustworthy. Not Bruce, someone he barely knew and had hated up until very recently. It made him feel vulnerable and even worst, scared. 

“I won’t tell anyone about that either if you’re wondering.” 

“Thanks,” Hal took a deep breath and thought about what he was going to say next. Bruce waited patiently, not saying anything. “To tell you the truth man, I’m so over feeling this way. Barry’s happy with Iris, no matter what I do he’s never going to feel the same way about me. I need something else. Something that isn’t for show, something that’s real y’know.” 

“Wow Hal, that’s the most words I’ve heard you string together coherently since I’ve known you. Congratulations.” Hal kicked him under the table but Bruce moved his leg out of the way too quickly and he just ended up kicking the stiff wood of the booth. 

“I’m serious and I mean I guess what I’m trying to say is - Shit! I love this song!” Hal said getting distracted by the unadulterated legendary awesomeness of Guns n’ Roses. “ _ She’s got a smile and it seems to me reminds me of childhood memories, where everything was as fresh as the bright blue skyyyyyyyy!”  _ Hal sang at the top of his lungs to the entire staff and one and a half patrons of Big Belly Burger at 2 am. Bruce covered his eyes as if to convey, ‘I don’t know him’.

“Please stop.” 

“ _ Now and then when I see her face, She takes me away to a special place and if I stared to long I’d probably break down and cryyyyyy! _ ” 

“God I can’t believe you like this kind of music.” 

Hal stopped singing for a moment to reply. “What the fuck? Guns n’ Roses is only the most outrageously superb band of our generation. I can’t believe you don’t like this!” 

“It’s ostentatious at best and unbearable at worst.” Bruce answered, leaning over to dump his leftovers in the trash bin next to them. “I’d rather be strapped into a chair with eyelids taped open and forced to watch every episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark, than listen to this.” 

Hal scoffed and followed suit with the trash dumping and they both stood up from the table. “And I suppose your taste in music is sooo much better? Don’t think I didn’t see that Nirvana shirt under your coat.” 

“Excuse me?”

“Bet you cried like a bitch when that Kris guy died.”

“It was Kurt you glam rock loving shit shitbag!” They were in the parking lot now and Hal could tell he had hit a nerve. 

“Too soon?” Hal muttered, stuffing his hands in his bomber’s pockets. 

“About twenty years too soon dude.” They stood there in silence, waiting for Alfred to pull up. Bruce still looked kind of pissed so Hal made a mental note to never talk about music again if he wanted this tentative friendship to go anywhere. 

“So what now?” 

“I was thinking we would go back to my house, I’ve got a fridge filled with crystal pepsi and been stuck on this one part of Final Fantasy seven for like a month now.” 

“That doesn’t come out in Japan till January, how’d you get a copy?” 

Bruce put his arm around Hal’s shoulder and leaned in to breathe hot air into his ear, “Friend’s in high palces, Jordan.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so bad about updating fics but I'm gonna try y'all I'm really gonna try.


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